Should patients that have been identified by doctors as being of potential harm to themselves or others be “made” to take medication? If so, how would you see this being enforced?

On the one hand, we have a right to privacy and over what goes in and comes out of our body. However, there are situations where laws are enforced in regards to the safety of others and to you, yourself. DUI’s are an example of this. A Dr.’s oath to report if one of their patients is planning to kill themselves or others is another. If it has been determined that someone is a danger to themselves and others, should they be made to take their medication?

There is a delicate balance in protecting the severely mentally ill from themselves and others while recognizing their personal rights. Photo by Davido www.flickr.com/photos/davido/2260290926

We have a close friend who had schizophrenia. A brilliant, gentle guy who, at 22 started hearing voices. He was able to work for two decades with this since he was a software engineer and could work behind closed doors. He tried medication but always felt like he was walking in glue and couldn’t think at all. He kept trying. He moved in with us when he had nowhere to go that he trusted. He lived with us for two years and you could rarely tell that he had “it”. Then, 9 months ago, after attempting to control the disease without medication, he committed suicide in our little apartment we built for him next to our house. My husband and I found him. God rest Alex. I do know this, talk therapy is so important to the process and his insurance did not allow him to see the one therapist that he trusted. Instead he had to take a bus two hours away to an approved provider. Alex didn’t trust him and stopped going. It’s so rare for someone with schizophrenia to get violent and kill.

Rather than schizophrenia, it is sociopaths and psychopaths that kill, and there are many warning signs years before the person acts out their plans.

So, what do you think? Should severely mentally ill people be made to take medication?

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/on-air/as-seen-on/262194521.html
Today, I attended a Mass of Healing and Peace for the families and victims of the mass shooting in Santa Monica as June 7th is the one year mark. It was beautiful. No politics, no speeches. We were able to , if we had lost someone to take a white dove and set it free, representing their soul taking flight. I think that one single act had the greatest impact on me.

We lost a friend because of his developing schizophrenia. He committed suicide in our garage having moved in with us when his beautiful mind could no longer focus. It has been 9 months since my husband and I found Alex. We tried so many times to get him help. We sent him to Step Up on Second, he saw a therapist but one far away that did not know him. He could not find support groups. We could not commit him. He was not a danger to others, but we made it clear to everyone that needed to know about his condition.

These acts of violence statistically are prone to occur between the ages of 18-25, the age at which most doctor’s have identified as when psychic breaks occur. My call to action, where change can make a difference is in our communities. A plan to meet with schools, home owners, business owners, and the police department to keep track of and dialog open to access mental health care for those that are threatening violence , many times years in advance.

If we are silent about our own experiences because of stigma, how do we expect our young or their parent’s to seek counseling? At a time when we most need therapists, school counselors, and a safe hospital for 72 hour holds, they are closing down. In our area, Cedar Sinai closed it’s mental health wing. We are left with ONE Hospital, UCLA.

There is our inherent right to freedom and our inherent right to be safe that we are riding the line on when it comes to being aware of those that are becoming a danger to themselves and others.

I’ve stared into the eyes of several borderline young adults, thinking I could help them, one attacked a man, one killed an animal and one shot me. It’s time for the village.

I was on an #American Airlines flight from Mexico to Dallas during Spring break. The woman sitting next to me went into a seizure and was basically dying in my arms. As I held her and yelled for a doctor on board, the flight attendants came with an emergency kit. We all worked together. We had an emergency landing and even as her blood pressure was only 80/60, she started to open her eyes after we (The on flight Doctor) put the IV of Glucose in her arm. I just want to say, there are angels. My daughter was supposed to be in that seat next to her. I traded her so she could sit with her friend. I would love to know how she is. American Air, can you please let me know?

Debra Fine was interviewed February 18th on KTLA Morning News to talk about the Fineline Foundation and the start of the foundation’s work as a resource for mental, physical, and financial assistance to help victims of violent crimes move toward becoming empowered survivors.

The segment was called:Santa Monica Shooting Survivor and Her Road To Recovery
Victims Advocate and mentor Debra Fine, survivor of the deadly Santa Monica College mass shooting talks about her road to recovery.

Debra Fine talked about her upcoming book as a first time author, being a keynote speaker and an advocate to help communities increase communication across constituencies to increase safety. She also expressed her desire to be a resource for support groups, self help seminars, and to work with victims and their families, particularly parents and teens, to understand and overcome trauma.

“It is my hope that by sharing my story with you of constant physical and mental abuse, and of sharing how I was able to feel like I was someone who not only deserved to live, but to thrive, that you may, in some way, identify with something in your life that can make what I learned helpful to you. I will share my story in future weeks.

I have spent my last 20+ years talking to people to show them how they can be a survivor and a creator of their destiny. During the last three years, I have had the pleasure of working with students who come from some very difficult and damning circumstances. Each time I stand in front of the classroom, I remind them of the things that I have accomplished through great adversity. I share my personal life with them, but not for pity or their undying sorrow — I share with them to teach them that they do not have to be a “Victim” and I would like to share that with you. In the meantime, please know, you are here for a reason, to overcome and help another.”

Santa Monica College Mass Shooting
By Debra Fine (WPO Pacific US At Large)

I am, like many women, a wife, a mother, and an executive. In those roles, I always lean In, even if that means stepping just slightly back. I try to do this and remain vulnerable, which is real strength.

I was heading for the lesson of my life on June 7th.

That day, John Zwahari shot and killed his father and his brother, burned their house down and, on a mission to kill as many people that he could, walked out of the burning house with his semi-automatic rifle and 1,300 rounds of ammunition. That morning my life changed forever.

Like many mornings, I took my twins to soccer practice, worked out in my sweats, and was going to rush home to change in time to make it to a meeting. I was looking for a shortcut to get to my destination and turned right onto a side street. I came face-to-face with one of the most terrifying sights I have seen.

In the middle of the street, a man in full tactical gear, black pants, black shirt, a bulletproof vest, and an automatic rifle was aiming at one of his neighbors. He then swung his rifle toward a woman in her car, motioning her to pull over to the side of the road.

I thought that he could be one of the U.S. president’s security team because President Obama was in Los Angeles. I registered that his stance was very tense and aggressive. His rifle was pointed directly at two women. He was not part of the SWAT team. I knew he was going to shoot them. Without any further thought, I hit my accelerator to get my car between the man with the rifle and his targets.

We locked eyes, his targets temporarily on hold. He was standing 10 feet away from my driver’s side window. I was looking into eyes that were dark and dead. There wasn’t one ounce of humanity in him. He was on a mission of execution and nothing would get in his way, and that is all I was to him, a thing in his way.

He pulled the trigger and I felt bullets tearing into my shoulder. I felt a burning on my ear, and I couldn’t hear in my right ear. I went into absolute survival movement, rolling onto the passenger side with my head low. He kept shooting in rapid succession. I was shot five times.

I ducked low and rolled my upper body into the passenger side of my car. I don’t know how I knew that I needed to stay in motion, duck low and stay very quiet, but I did.

Neighbors called 911 as the shooter got into a woman’s car and made her drive. He did not have time now to shoot her. The police were on their way.

The gunman shot through the window of her car. He got to Santa Monica College and shot five people. The early 911 call, which came in because I was shot, enabled the police to stop him within 12 minutes of his rampage. Within three minutes of arriving at Santa Monica College, police shot and killed him.

I was rushed to the UCLA Trauma Center.

When I heard a paramedic say they had two more bodies on the way but they were DOA, I realized this was a mass shooting. When they took out the bullets and I was stable, I asked my husband to turn on the TV. I saw the carnage at Santa Monica College.

I was in a state of shock but I believed that I needed to let the community know what happened. I spoke with the media from my hospital bed. My Lean In network, my WIN network, fellow YPOers, friends and family were pouring out love and support, including bringing dinners to our house.

I learned many things about myself. I am not a victim. I am a mother, I am a wife, I am a strong leader in my communities.

I learned something else about the prejudice that is still out there. Some of the postings after my interview with Piers Morgan were shocking:

“This was a set up, no woman knows what a Kevlar vest is.”

“She must have been an actress, women don’t know what ammunition is.”

Really? On a radio interview, the “talk jock” said, “What woman would be stupid enough to put herself into the middle of a shooting?” I called in. I said, “Most. I have a survival instinct that enabled me to not only take a bullet but be smart enough to tuck and roll.”

He apologized.

To learn more, read a Fox News account of this story.

About Debra L. Fine:

Debra has been an executive in, and been the CEO of, the top for profit and non-profit companies/organizations. She has run top consumer products and media companies for the past 20 years. Debra was the vice president of marketing at Disney in the interactive gaming/consumer products divisions as well as running strategy for some of the most trusted brands in the world such as Kraft, Quaker and American Express while at Marketing Corporation of America. Debra founded Cloud 9, which specialized in children’s educational media, winning top product awards and achieving worldwide distribution. Debra has raised more than US$100 million for her own and client companies as well as taking companies public.

She was named one of the top 50 most powerful females in entertainment technology in 1998. Debra acquired Small World Inc., one of the most trusted and high quality educational toy companies in the country. She and her team created, manufactured and distributed educational toys that won in excess of 200 awards and were sold throughout the world. She took the company public and acquired and integrated two prominent electronic learning companies. Debra was named Female Entrepreneur of the year as CEO of Small World in 2006.

Debra has served on the executive committee in various positions as a member of Young Presidents’ Organization.

Her passion lies in creating only the highest quality brands, both non-profit and for-profit, through business planning, financial structuring, marketing, distribution and mergers and acquisitions. She specializes in bringing in individual donors, big gifts, corporate sponsorship and highly attended events to raise funding.

Debra has been/is on the board of directors of both public and private companies. She was the chairman of the board of Small World, chairman of the comp committee and audit committee for Equity Marketing, board director for Project Access and Step Up on Second, and board member for four of Mike Milken’s portfolio companies.

Interview : Doctor Victoria Moreno, Jungian Analyst,MFT

Definition of Jung’s Theory of Individuation

Jung considered individuation, a psychological process of integrating the opposites including the conscious with the unconscious while still maintaining their relative autonomy, necessary for a person to become whole.

Individuation is a process of transformation whereby the personal and collective unconscious is brought into consciousness (by means of dreams, active imagination or free association to take some examples) to be assimilated into the whole personality. It is a completely natural process necessary for the integration of the psyche to take place.

Besides achieving physical and mental health people who have advanced towards individuation tend to be harmonious, mature and responsible. They embody humane values such as freedom and justice and have a good understanding about the workings of human nature and the universe.
– From Wikipedia

Q: Dr Moreno, you are a Jungian Therapist. What are the unique therapeutic elements of the Jungian approach of trauma therapy?

A: Dr. Carl Jung appreciated the value of having a patient develop a relationship between one’s Waking State (Ego, Conscious) relationship with the unconscious self, which comes out through dreams, connections we make with a past event and a current fear or what we feel when we say “A Button is Being Pushed” by someone or something. We project irritation or fears into the outer world because we have held it inside, splintered it off into the subconscious.

Q: Can you give me an example of a past issue that has been “split off” and unresolved playing out in a current set of events?

A: As an example, if you had issues with your father, seeing him as unapproachable or threatening, then an attachment was possibly not formed. When you are in a romantic relationship, you may project the relationship that you had with your father onto that person, therefore reacting to them in mays that are not warranted by current events. Recognizing that there is a subconscious issue by bringing it into the present can heal that early trauma and free you to form your own relationships.

Q: Can you discuss the “Splitting off” of traumatic events throughout our lives:

A: If there was unbearable suffering or fear we may need to “split them off” from our daily thoughts and the unconscious becomes the repository for all of these experiences. When the person (Ego/waking) person is strong enough to create a bridge to the unconscious and integrate that event , then it isn’t “lurking in the basement”, unknowingly controlling our present reactions.

Q: Do we ever integrate all parts of our trauma’s with ourselves and, if so, are we “Cured”?

A: There is never perfection. It does, however, make many finally feel “whole” to not feel embarrassed about any part of ourselves.

Q: If you are working with a patient who you suspect has trauma (s) that are causing present issues, how do you work with them? There is a controversy that you never have to have a patient remember, and therefore relive the trauma. That it can be detrimental to do so.

A: I always am very aware of how fragile a patient is and I build a relationship of trust. We may go to some scary places together as things unfold and the Ego has to be strong enough and ready to do that. Usually, a patient will circle around the issue time and time again until he or she is ready to go there with the therapist so that the event doesn’t hold as much power. For example, if a patient is afraid of elevators, ideally, the therapist and patient would explore the reasons, and the therapist would help to “desensitize” the patient by repeated exposure of going up and down together in order for the patient to get strength from the experience.

Q: Can you give me an example of working with a patient who had continuing childhood abuse to get to a positive self image and belief system?

A: Yes, you gave me an example of a man in his 40’s who had been repeatedly abused by his father. He told you that although he was beaten and saw his mother beaten that he did have someone in his young life (In his case, a teacher), who told him that he was very intelligent and could develop into so many things. She had him read books of philosophers, men and women who overcame obstacles and moved forward to help others. She told him about artists, philosophers and scientists who had been called crazy, but they believed in what they were doing and their findings changed our world. We would work (If he were ready and committed and strong enough) on finding the positive voices that he heard from anyone who are still in his memory when he thinks of them. We would locate the abusive and negative talk in his psyche. We may even enter into dialogue with them and change their attitude, challenge them.

A: In therapy, I’ve learned that the best way to “face the old demons” (and make them less powerful in present life) is to put the scary thoughts on paper, journal, paint, sculpt. It is important to make them concrete, not free floating out there.

Debra to Victoria: Thank you Doctor Moreno. I look forward to following up with you on the topic of Addiction.

Surviving and thriving after a traumatic event. What are the characteristics of a survivor, and what are the characteristics of a victim?

Characteristics of a Survivor

Acceptance
Empathy
Esteemable acts
Strong moral compass
Recognizing your part
Taking responsibility
Optimistic
Ability to pause
Turn inward without being self absorbed
Life on Life’s terms
Recognizing that nothing stays up or down
Restoration, not blame, a place of the great unknowing
A power greater than ourselves
Love flowed to them from community, support
In time, they helped others
Service, service= joy
Finding out Who You Are, not what
Share our stories
No secrets
Dig and then let go of the stories
True self
Don’t hold resentments
God box
Compassion, recognizing our soul’s reflection in another person
Authentic and meaningful lives

Characteristics of a Victim:

Blames everyone else for their “lack of”
Entitlement
Fear of not getting what they think they need or having something taken away
Not delving into their own “part” in a situation
No empowerment
Shame of being weak
Invested in our stories we tell ourselves
Self fulfilling prophecy
Fixing ourselves with our own sick minds dosen’t work
Try to change the past

Following Veterans Day, we have some very positive news in Los Angeles. The Veterans Association has a contract now with Step Up on Second, a nonprofit helping and housing those with mental illness, including schizophrenia, to house at least 100 veterans with some form of mental illness or PTSD. I was excited to hear about this during my interview with Tod Lipka, the CEO of Step Up on Second. Great to see it confirmed on their blog.

I have been asked by so many, “if you had to do it again, would you drive between the gunman and his targets?
They all wonder, would they?

Let me explain. On June 7, I came face-to-face with 23-year-old John Zawahiri, the man now known as the person responsible for a mass shooting at Santa Monica College.

I saw Zawahiri point his gun at another woman. I drove my car between her and the gunman to protect her
The people who ask me if I would do what I did all over again also want to know what thoughts I had before I made the decision to hit the accelerator.

I now realize that one single action taken by just one, single person, can change the outcome of an entire event.

I tell them there were none. — It was a cellular response to saving someone who could not save their self.

People have asked me what Zawahiri looked and acted like when he stared at me at that moment and shot me. – We would later learn that he had just shot and killed his father and brother.

I tell them that there was absolutely nothing even remotely resembling a human being in his eyes or movements.

I have since learned from a police detective that he had planned the shooting on June 7 for almost two years.

He had run through this exact scenario many times.

The detective believes that when I acted, and threw an unknown element into his plan, it shook him up and “derailed” him.
On that day, June 7, John Zwahari had already shot and killed his father and brother. He had burned their house down. By the time I encountered him, he was launched on a mission to kill as many people that he could. He had walked out of the burning house with his semi-automatic rifle and 1,300 rounds of ammunition.

We’ve learned all this since the shooting that ultimately took six lives – there were five victims plus the shooter.
Here’s what I’ve also learned since that day in June.

I now realize that one single action taken by just one, single person, can change the outcome of an entire event.

That morning, my life changed forever.

I still remember like it was yesterday.

I had turned my car onto a side street [in Santa Monica??]. I was just looking for a shortcut. I wanted to bypass traffic. And then, I was met by a terrifying sight.

I suddenly saw a man in full tactical gear, wearing a bulletproof vest, carrying an automatic rifle. And, he was aiming it at one of his neighbors and motioning for a woman in a car to pull over to the side of the road.

People ask me, “Why didn’t you run the b*stard over?”

I wasn’t thinking like that.

President Obama was in town that day. This man was dressed in clothing that I imagined a member of his security team might wear.
Hitting a member of the president’s security detail did not seem like an option!

But Zawahiri’s stance was tense and aggressive.

His weapon was pointed directly at two women.

Then I realized that he couldn’t have been part of the security team or even a SWAT team.

I suddenly knew he was going to shoot them.

Without any further thought, I hit my accelerator to get my car between the man with the rifle and his targets.

We locked eyes, his targets temporarily forgotten.

He was standing 10 feet away from the front of my car. He was on a mission of execution and suddenly, I was in his way.
I was shot five times. There was no reason for me to have survived except that I was in motion, in the car, and he was walking.
Neighbors called 911 as the shooter got into a woman’s car and made her drive.

Suddenly, he did not have time to shoot her – the police were on their way.

I was rushed to the UCLA Trauma Center and I have undergone three surgeries since then.

I have learned many things in the last four months. One of them is that shootings and crime can occur in any neighborhood.

I’ve learned that every day really does matter.

I’ve learned that an involved community can spot a potential danger and even help prevent it. That our teachers have a strong influence on students, bringing out responsibility and creativity. I saw that firsthand when I spoke at the L.A Film School.
I have had the honor of meeting so many people who came from abusive backgrounds, who have suffered from neglect and had very little chance at a healthy life. I’ve learned that one person can step up to help them and they can succeed.

I have learned that I am not a victim just because I was beaten up and bullied as a teenager.

I was in the wrong place with kids who had, I later found out, been bullied by their own parents.

I learned that there is prejudice that is still out there. After the attack, in my hospital bed, news networks and television stations asked me to speak to the families and all of the communities in shock over the shooting.

I tried to put some pieces together for those that weren’t there.

I told the real story of what happened that day. I tried to reach out to those who had been hit by the tragedy.

What was almost as hard to believe as this senseless killing, were some of the posts about it on a website [what’s the name of the website? Or would you rather not say?] such as:
“This was a set up, it must have been a Zionist conspiracy.”
“This was only reported because it’s a woman and she’s from a decent neighborhood”.
Were there really still people out there who couldn’t believe what was in front of them because of their own hate?
I let it go and moved on.

I am, in turn, here to help others.

I was on a flight coming back to Los Angeles, when a woman sat next to me that was probably just going into her third trimester. All that I wanted to do was rest, I was tired. I tried contrary action and instead of just reading, I asked how far along she was.

The conversation turned quickly to a deep level. She has stage-three breast cancer and is six months pregnant.
I told her about the miracle doctor that delivered my twins, I told her about my own chest surgery because of the shooting.
I called my doctor for her after we got off the plane. She hugged me and said, there really are angels.

We pay it forward.

I believe the writer George Elliott, who posed as a man just to be published as an author, when she said “It’s Never TOO Late To Become What You Might Have Been.”